Corn Cannon
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 11:43 am
I’m inclined to post information on my summer project, as the information on this site was invaluable to me in its construction.
This beast was built for my relative who operates a corn maze each fall.
He found a web site selling “Corn Cannons” to launch ears of corn or small gourds using compressed air which interested him. The price tag ($500) was not as nearly as exciting.
I am “handy” and technically inclined, so I volunteered to construct one for him. Little did I know what I was getting into.
Specifications:
Reservoir – 6” ID x 30” long fiberglass pipe
Valve – barrel sealing 6” dia. aluminum piston
Barrels – 2”, 2 1/2”, and 3” sch. 40 PVC All are 50” long
“ASCO Red Hat” solenoids are used to fill and fire the gun
½” for the fill, and ¾” for the exhaust
115 VAC control circuit
The piston and end cap are made of 1 ½” thick aluminum. End cap has an o-ring to seal it and is held in place by 6 – ¼-20 SHCS. The piston has ~ a 1/8” thick fiber reinforced neoprene seal held in place by contact adhesive and a ¼” bolt with a fender washer. ¼” thick neoprene was used on the backside of the piston for a bumper.
The gun is intended for use by the public, so it was imperative to make it as safe as possible. The control circuit allows an operator to control the firing of the gun.
The projectile is loaded; the operator then pushes the fill button to charge the reservoir with air (a regulator is used to control the pressure). The operator then assures that the gun is pointed in a safe direction and enables the firing button on the gun. This allows “little Johnny” to push the button on the handle all he wants without causing an accidental discharge.
Most of the materials for the gun were scrounged except for the solenoid valves.
Here are the pictures of the gun, along with a single damage picture. The window on the French door was destroyed via an unintended discharge of a tennis ball at ~ 30 PSI.
This beast was built for my relative who operates a corn maze each fall.
He found a web site selling “Corn Cannons” to launch ears of corn or small gourds using compressed air which interested him. The price tag ($500) was not as nearly as exciting.
I am “handy” and technically inclined, so I volunteered to construct one for him. Little did I know what I was getting into.
Specifications:
Reservoir – 6” ID x 30” long fiberglass pipe
Valve – barrel sealing 6” dia. aluminum piston
Barrels – 2”, 2 1/2”, and 3” sch. 40 PVC All are 50” long
“ASCO Red Hat” solenoids are used to fill and fire the gun
½” for the fill, and ¾” for the exhaust
115 VAC control circuit
The piston and end cap are made of 1 ½” thick aluminum. End cap has an o-ring to seal it and is held in place by 6 – ¼-20 SHCS. The piston has ~ a 1/8” thick fiber reinforced neoprene seal held in place by contact adhesive and a ¼” bolt with a fender washer. ¼” thick neoprene was used on the backside of the piston for a bumper.
The gun is intended for use by the public, so it was imperative to make it as safe as possible. The control circuit allows an operator to control the firing of the gun.
The projectile is loaded; the operator then pushes the fill button to charge the reservoir with air (a regulator is used to control the pressure). The operator then assures that the gun is pointed in a safe direction and enables the firing button on the gun. This allows “little Johnny” to push the button on the handle all he wants without causing an accidental discharge.
Most of the materials for the gun were scrounged except for the solenoid valves.
Here are the pictures of the gun, along with a single damage picture. The window on the French door was destroyed via an unintended discharge of a tennis ball at ~ 30 PSI.